Donald K Robbins

Donald K. Robbins is an American computer artist and engineer whose work bridged the emerging fields of technology and aesthetics during the 1960s. While working at Sandia Corporation in Albuquerque, a research institution focused on national defense and nuclear weapons development, Robbins had access to advanced mainframe computers and high-precision drawing equipment. These tools, typically reserved for military or industrial purposes, became his instruments for creative experimentation.

In 1968, he created a lithograph titled 3-dimensional bug pattern that presents a checkerboard of cubes with swirling blue patterns. The design is based on a mathematical problem where four bugs crawl toward each other around a square that rotates and shrinks. Robbins brought this concept to life by adding depth through cubes and perspective, turning a mathematical idea into a striking three-dimensional image.

That same year, Robbins produced 3D Checkerboard Pattern, a piece derived from a high-precision plotter drawing. It was published as part of a portfolio of seven lithographs by different artists for Cybernetic Serendipity, a groundbreaking exhibition curated by Jasia Reichardt at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts. The portfolio featured works by pioneers including Charles Csuri, Nam June Paik, and Frieder Nake. Robbins’ 3D Checkerboard Pattern was not only included in the set but also used on the exhibition’s promotional poster and book cover. In 1969, the complete set was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, affirming Robbins’ place among the foundational figures of early computer-generated art.